This year the Winter Solstice is Friday, December 21, 2012 11:11 Universal Time, when the Sun enters zero degrees Capricorn.

The full moon in the month of December is called the Long Nights Moon. This year the Long Nights Moon is December 28, 2012 10:21 Universal Time.

The Winter Solstice is a festival of Rebirth of the Sun, the shortest day of the year, the official first day of winter and marks the division of the year and the lowest power of the Sun. Just as the dark or waning half of the year began at Summer Solstice with the longest day, the light or waxing half begins now at the Winter Solstice with the longest night. It is also considered by some to be the start of the new Wheel of the Year and is the start of the Chinese Solar Year. It is the time to look on the past year's achievements and to celebrate with family and friends.

The word "Yule" is believed to derive from the Norse, Jul, meaning "wheel."

Four thousand years ago or so, ancient Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of the sun at this time of year. They set the length of the festival at 12 days, to reflect the 12 divisions in their sun calendar. They decorated with greenery, using palms with 12 shoots as a symbol of the completed year, since a palm was thought to put forth a shoot each month. In ancient Egypt there was the Dejed-piler resembling a stylized tree. The Djed pillar (pronounced Zed) is a khemetic hieroglyphic symbol which stands for stability. It represents the backbone of Osiris which is the greek form of the Khemetic Asir. The Djed was raised at various times, during the end of the A'aperti's reign & the coronation of a new one, and also during the Winter Solstice. The common people raised the Djed pillar during times of failing crops to ensure fertility which has to do with Asir being a Netjer of resurrection. During the 'Raising of the Djed Festival' the A'aperti or the pharaoh would run a certain course to prove that he was still fit to rule. The Djed was decorated with a Tet Knot (bow) and Dejeds (flanges) to represent the union of Isis and Osiris.

The ancient Egyptians had both a lunar calendar, and a solar 365 day calendar, which was divided into three seasons of four months each. Each month consisted of 30 days (3 weeks of 10 days per week) . At the end of the year, five additional 'Heriu-renpet' days were added to the solar calendar for the birth of the Goddesses/Gods. An extra day would be added as needed.

The heliacal rise of Sirius just before dawn was an extremely important event for the Ancient Egyptians. The first visibility of the star Sirius on the morning sky, called heliacal rising, fell close to the Inundation of the Nile and was the beginning of the Ancient Egyptian solar year.

The first new moon after the heliacal rising was the begining of the lunar year. 3, 000 years ago the heliacal rising was in early July, currently it is around August 1st. Each lunar month was named after an Ancient Egyptian Goddess, God, or major festival. In a year with 13 new moons, the 13th lunar month was added to the end of the year.

The Ancient Egyptian fifth solar month from November 29 to December 28 is Peret I (emergence) , when crops were planted, cultivated, and maintained.

The Ancient Egyptian sixth solar month from December 28 to January 27 is Peret II (emergence) , when crops were planted, cultivated, and maintained.

The ancient Hellenic lunar months would start on the new moon and a new day would start at sunset. The new year would start on the new moon before the Autumn Equinox. Except for Athens which used the new moon following the Summer Solstice. I use the Autumn Equinox and the lunar month of Boedromion for my calculations for the new year. In a year with 13 new moons, the 13th lunar month (Poseideon II) was inserted between the 4th (Poseideon) and 5th (Gamelion) lunar months around December/January. A different Goddess/God was honored for the full moon of the month.

Greek legend has a story of the Kallikantzaroi--ugly monsters of chaos who, during most of the year are forced underground. During the 12 days of Yule, the Kallikantzaroi are said to roam freely on the earth's surface. They are known more for malicious practical joking than any real harm. To scare them away, the Greeks kept their Yule log burning. Any child born during the twelve days was in danger of becoming a Kallikantzaroi. The antidote? Binding the baby in tresses of garlic or straw, or singeing the child's toenails! The signal for their final departure does not come until the Epiphany, when the "Blessing of the Waters" takes place. Some of the hallowed water is put into vessels, and with these and with incense the priests sometimes make a round of the village, sprinkling the people and their houses.

The Roman calendar was originally lunar. The first days was the kalends (from which the modern word calendar is derived) , the first quarter was the nones, and the full moon was the ides.

A crown of flowers was hung over the hearth, and sacrifices were made to the Lares, or household gods on the kalends, nones, ides, and all feast days. The waning moon was the unlucky part of the month and had no name. The days were numbered backward from the first of the next month.

The ancient Roman solar calendar consisted of 10 months in a year of 304 days. The Romans seem to have ignored the remaining 61 days, which fell in the middle of winter, the unmarked "Terror Time". The 10 months were named Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October, November, and December. The year began with Martius "March". Numa Pompilius, the second king of Rome circa 700 BC, added the two months Januarius "January" and Februarius "February". He also moved the beginning of the year from Marius to Januarius. This made the Roman year 365 days long.

The first day of December is the Festival of Neptune, the god of the sea and water. Neptune was known to the Greeks as Poseidon.

Saturnalia was the feast at which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god Saturn, which took place on December 17. Over the years, it expanded to a whole week. Saturnalia was marked chiefly by having masters and slaves switch places, which led to widespread drinking and debauchery. The people gave themselves up to wild joy. They feasted, they gave gifts, they decorated their homes with greenery. In the Roman calendar the Winter Solstice fell in this period; in imperial times the event was celebrated in honour of Sol Invictus, the "Invincible Sun".

In the third century the Roman Emperor Aurelian established December 25, as the birthday of the "Invincible Sun" as part of the Roman Saturnalia (Winter Solstice)

celebration/festival. The Roman Saturnalia festival went on for 12 days till January 6th.

The fourth century Roman emperor Constantine, moved the celebration of Christmas to December 25. In 567 AD, Christians adopted the 12 day festival. Church leaders proclaimed the 12 days from December 25 to Jan 6th as a sacred, festive season.

The Winter Solstice festivities celebrates the rebirth of the Sun, and honors the birth of the Sun God/King. The Goddess gives birth to the Sun Child, the Sun of God, and hope for new light is born. This is when we celebrate the coming light, and thank the Goddesses and Gods for seeing us through the longest night.

Also at this time of year was Sacaea or Zagmuk, the annual renewal festival of the Babylonians which was adopted by the Persians. One of the themes of these festivals was the temporary subversion of order. Masters and slaves exchanged places. A mock king was crowned. Masqueraders spilled into the streets. As the old year died, rules of ordinary living were relaxed.

There's the Julbock or Julbukk, or Yule goat, from Sweden and Norway, who had his beginnings as carrier for the god Thor. Now he carries the Yule elf when he makes his rounds to deliver presents and receive his offering of porridge. The Yule elf is called Jultomten in Sweden, Julesvenn in Norway, and Jule-nissen in Denmark and Norway.

Yule is a time to look on the past year's achievements and to celebrate with family and friends.

The Yule log and tree, mistletoe, holly, pine, cedar, juniper, spinning wheels, the colors red and green, and gift giving are all part of the Yule celebrations. Red candles are used to symbolize the fire and heat of the returning sun as the days begin to lengthen. The tree also dates from old European or pagan rituals. It was the time to celebrate the renewal of the earth, and greens were used as the symbol.

The yule log is the counterpart of the midsummer bondfires, which are held outdoors on Summer Solstice (Litha) to celebrate the shortest night of the year. It is also customary to place mistletoe around the fire, which is the plant that grew on the oak tree, sacred to the Druids, the priests of the old Celts.

In Europe the yule log is brought in and placed on the hearth where it glows for the twelve nights of the holiday season. After that, it is kept in the house all year to protect the home and its inhabitants from illness and any adverse condition.

Gods associated with the winter solstice are: Saturn (Roman agricultural god) , Janus (Roman) , Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time) , the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year) , Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god) , Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats) , Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse) , Frey (Norse peace/fertility/prosperity God of Yule born on the Winter Solstice) , and the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year) . Santa's reindeer can be viewed as forms of Herne, the Celtic Horned God.

The Year is divided into Quarters by the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, and the Autumn Equinox.

Halfway beteen the Solstice and and Equinox is the Cross Quarter. These Quarters and Cross Quarters are called the Wheel of the Year of the Sun.

Winter Solstice (Yule) is one of the 4 Quarter Sun Celebrations in the wheel of the Year. It is halfway between 2 Cross Quarter Sun Celebrations, November 1st (Samhain) and February 2nd (Imbolc) . Exactly opposite Summer Solstice (Litha) on the wheel of the year.

To send a private email message to 2012 (8) Winter Solstice Sun Celebration - Yule...
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